Greetings

Many people will use the summer that now has come upon us as a time to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Many will go on vacations or make trips to enjoy some of the many attractions we have here locally. In other words, many will use this summer as a time to relax and “recharge their batteries.”

Our relaxing during the lazy days of summer can also serve as a spiritual picture.

If we are honest with ourselves, we will have to admit that we have sinned often—did, said or thought things that were bad. That’s why our consciences bother us—they accuse us of doing bad things. Then, when we stop to consider the fact that by those wrong things we have done, we have rebelled against the one, true holy God and that He says that the sin, the wrongs, we do earn us His eternal wrath, what hope do we have?

The natural reaction is to try to “make up” for the wrong we have done and to do more good. But that doesn’t work with God; it’s not enough—He demands perfection.

The Good News is that we can still have peace and rest of conscience. That’s because in His love and mercy, God the Son, also became true man and in the Person of Jesus Christ, the God-man, obey all of the holy commandments for us. Not only that, but Jesus also took all of our sins, made them His own, and in our place, suffered all of God’s wrath over our sin. Now, in Jesus, we are forgiven all our sins and reconciled to the one true God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Now heaven stands open to us.

That’s why in His Word, the Bible, Jesus tells us, who are loaded down and burdened by our sin: “COME TO ME, ALL YOU WHO ARE WORKING HARD AND CARRYING A HEAVY LOAD, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST” (Mt. 11.28)

The rest that Jesus gives is the forgiveness of our sin. When our sin is forgiven, we have peace with God—true peace, because we know that things are right between us and Him, that in Jesus nothing separates us from His love for us and that He is working all things for our spiritual good.

What a glorious rest we have as we come to Jesus, give Him, in confession, all of our sins and in exchange He gives us His forgiveness and peace with God. This is true rest for the soul indeed!